DEADLOCK USA: The NBR election live blog

5.07pm: According to an ABC News report, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has told the Romney camp they have lost the swing state (officially still in play with Obama leading 49.8% to 49.3% with 94% of votes counted.

5pm: US pundits scratching their heads over Mitt Romney's poor showing do worse than check out Rod Vaughan's Doubts over Downton Abbey drive American voters to polls.

During the first presidential debate, the Republican challenger threatened to cut funding for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), which screens the show in the US, along with favourites like Sesame Street.

Not amused by Romney's proposed Public Broadcasting Service cuts.

4.50pm: With the Democratic West Coast including giant California yet to be tallied, Romney is struggling to keep his head above water. Networks are likely to call Florida and Ohio for Obama in the next hour, sealing the Republican's fate.

4.45pm: A storify feed is aggregating photos from US Embassy parties around the world. Sadly there's still no picture from the US Embassy in NZ's Chicago Bar party, which our man in Wellington describes as a "sensory overload." But here's the US Embassy Bangkok party:

4.30pm: With Romney struggling, the silver lining is that Republicans are set to hold a clear majority in the House of Representatives, as expected, setting up Obama for a deadlocked final term.

But Republican hopes of taking control of the Senate seem a stretch at this point. The party needed to pick up four seats; at this point it has lost two.

4.15pm: The situation continues to deteriorate for Romney. US networks are projecting he will lose another swing state, New Hampshire. Fox News pundits have started to talk about recounts. Time's Swampland blog reports the Romney victory party HQ in Massachusetts has turned off its live feed and switched to campaign videos.

The Republican challengers small consolation is that he continues to lead the popular vote. But with the largest (by population) state of California still to be counted, and other West Coast states yet to come, that could also slip away.

4pm: Romney is on the ropes.

US networks say he has lost the swing state of Wisconsin. 

He is also projected to lose the swing state of Pennsylvania, and is behind in close Florida and Ohio races. 

SENATE (ONE THIRD OF 100 SEATS UP FOR ELECTION)
Republican: 42 (pre-election day: 47; 37 not contested this cycle)
Democrat: 45 (pre-election day: 53*; 30 not contested this cycle)

* including 2 independents who caucus with the Democrats.

3.45pm: In Massachusetts Democrat candidate Elizabeth Warren, rated an outside chance for the Senate, has defeated Republican incumbent Scott Brown according to an NBC projection.

The Democrats have now made a net gain of two in the Senate. Republicans – currently down two – need a net gain of four to take control.

3.30pm: NBC and Bloomberg have called Pennsylvania for Obama. The Romney campaign had made a last minute push into the swing state.

3.15pm: Republicans, who need a net gain of four to take control of the 100-seat Senate, have lost the race in Maine. Retiring Republican Olympia Snowe will be replaced by Independent candidate Angus King, who is expected to caucus with the Democrats.

3pm: With more than half the votes counted, Romney is a faction behind in the key battleground state of Florida. He also trails in Ohio.

2pm: In a move that may assist Obama in Ohio, bailed-out car company Chrysler has given all its workers the day off to vote. The automaker's executives have criticised Romney for an attack ad that said the company was shifting some assembly to China.

1.45pm: AP has called three states, putting conservative Kentucky and West Virginia in the Romney camp, as expected, and liberal Vermont for Obama.

1.30pm: With cautious, goody-two-shoes networks only releasing issue-based exit poll result questions, all eyes are on the raw vote count. 

With just 4% of the vote counted, Florida is achingly close as predicted with Obama on 1,296,710 (50.2%) and Romney 1,270,981 (49.2%).

1pm: Gamblers continue to back the incumbent. Ladbrookes has Obama at 1/5, Romney at 7/2.

11.45am: Polls close over the next two hours in three key battleground states that will likely decide the race. Expect US media to release exit polls as soon as the ballot closes in each state. And the exit polls in these three states may well indicate the outcome of the Presidential election.

Florida polls close between 7pm and 8pm US Eastern Time (1pm - 2pm NZ Time.

Virginia closes at at 7pm ET /1pm NZT.

Ohio closes at 7.30pm ET/1.30pm NZT.

11am: Dateline Auckland: John Dybvig, quietly going about his business, is one of an estimated 11,000 US ex-pats in NZ who are entitled to vote in the presidential election.

10.30am: A Pennsylvania official has confirmed to Computerworld that an electronic voting machine did change a vote for Obama to a vote for Romney (the voter concerned filmed the incident on his cellphone as he grew frustrated with the machine, then later posted the video to YouTube - see below). The machine was taken offline to be re-calibrated.

The Wall Street Journal has reported long lines, and multiple problems with electronic voting including server crashes.

If the result is tight, it seems electronic votiing systems will provide furtile ground for legal challenges.